Victims accuse Cardinal DiNardo of concealing Iowa sex abuse in calling for his resignation

By Shelby Fleig
Des Moines Register
January 1, 2019

https://bit.ly/2SC31H7

In this Nov. 12, 2018, file photo, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, listens to a reporter's question during a news conference during the USCCB's annual fall meeting in Baltimore. Prosecutors investigating a sexual abuse case against DiNardo are executing a search warrant at the offices of the local archdiocese, led by DiNardo, the cardinal leading the Catholic Church's response in the U.S. to sexual misconduct. Investigators from the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office were at the offices Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2018, of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. Photo by Patrick Semansky

In this Nov. 15, 2016, file photo, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, the newly-elected president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, speaks at a news conference at the USCCB's annual fall meeting in Baltimore. As U.S. Catholic leaders head to the Vatican to meet Pope Francis about a growing church abuse crisis, the cardinal leading the delegation, DiNardo, has been accused by multiple victims of not doing enough to stop a priest who was arrested this week on sexual abuse charges. Photo by Patrick Semansky

This August 2010 photo provided by Reuben Ortiz shows retired Catholic priest Jerome Coyle in Albuquerque, N.M. An Associated Press investigation shows that the diocese based in Sioux City, Iowa, quietly transferred Coyle to New Mexico for treatment after he acknowledged in 1986 that he had sexually abused roughly 50 Iowa boys over a 20-year period. Photo by Reuben Ortiz

Survivors of sex abuse by Catholic clergy are calling for the resignation of Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, the former bishop of Sioux City, from his post as President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

DiNardo, currently the archbishop of Galveston-Houston, is accused of covering up abuse cases in both Iowa and Texas. According to a statement released by the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), DiNardo helped conceal admitted abuse by the Rev. Jerome Coyle and allegations against the Rev. George B. McFadden while serving as bishop of Sioux City from 1997 to 2004.

"SNAP believes that the Cardinal’s role in covering up abuse in both Sioux City and Houston make him unfit to lead the USCCB," SNAP said in the statement. If law enforcement seized records from the Sioux City diocese, "they would find that additional crimes were concealed" by DiNardo and others, the statement read. The group first called for DiNardo's resignation in November.

In Houston, DiNardo is accused of dismissing allegations against the Rev. Manuel La Rosa-Lopez, who was charged in September with four counts of indecency with a child. La Rosa-Lopez has denied the allegations, according to the archdiocese.

DiNardo last fall led a delegation of Catholic leaders to meet with Pope Francis about the increasingly public crisis of child sex abuse by clergy. DiNardo has publicly blamed the "moral catastrophe" on "the failure of episcopal leadership."

In a November opinion piece for the Houston Chronicle, DiNardo said he is working with Texas bishops to release, by the end of January, a "comprehensive list of priests dating back to 1950 who have been credibly accused of sexually abusing minors."

The Diocese of Sioux City said in October that it had concealed — for 32 years — Coyle's admission that he sexually abused dozens of Iowa boys, after an investigation by the Associated Press. Bishop Walker Nickless has since promised to publish a list of credibly accused priests.

In addition to releasing the names of accused priests, SNAP wants church officials in both cities to reach out to parishes and schools where abusers worked, and to urge victims to report crimes to law enforcement.

SNAP President Tim Lennon was raised in Sioux City and first told the diocese in 1996 that he had been raped by the Rev. Peter B. Murphy. At least five men have since reported abuse by Murphy, who died in 1980, according to Bishop-Accountability.org.

DiNardo, as a cardinal, has "a lot of ability to change the church's reaction to allegations of sexual abuse," Lennon said when reached by phone Monday. "So why is someone in this position of great, great power not ensuring the safety of his parishioners?"

In Iowa, Catholic dioceses have paid millions to settle sex abuse cases in the past two decades, the largest settlements happening over the course of years in Davenport and Dubuque.

Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller has recently met with each of Iowa's four bishops in an effort to "understand how each diocese handles allegations," said Lynn Hicks, a spokesperson for the attorney general.

"Our office is gathering information about clergy abuse in Iowa and examining our options," Hicks wrote in an emailed statement.

Iowa is one of up to 45 states that has sought guidance from Pennsylvania authorities since a bombshell grand jury report there was made public in August.

Miller "is appalled by the cases of abuse and cover up uncovered by the Pennsylvania investigation, as well as cases in Iowa that have gone unreported," Hicks wrote. "We invite survivors of clergy abuse to contact our office if they’d like to share their experiences."

Victims of all crime in Iowa can get 24/7 support through the Iowa Crime Victims Helpline by calling 1-800-770-1650 or texting "IOWAHELP" to 20121.